JP2006001354A - Steering unit of outboard motor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering unit of an outboard motor which steering unit includes a hydraulic actuator but has a simplified structure to reduce the number of components and simplify work of mounting the steering unit on a hull. <P>SOLUTION: The steering unit of the outboard motor comprises a swivel case (22) mounted on left/right stern brackets (14L, 14R), a swivel shaft housed rotatably in the swivel case (22), a steering hydraulic cylinder (28) which rotates the swivel shaft, and a hydraulic oil supply mechanism (60) which supplies a hydraulic oil to the steering hydraulic cylinder (28). The hydraulic oil supply mechanism (60) is disposed in a space formed between the stern brackets (14L, 14R) and the swivel case (22) so as to be mounted integrally on the outboard motor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an outboard motor steering apparatus, and more particularly to an outboard motor steering apparatus in which a steering mechanism is driven by an actuator.

  Conventionally, the power source of a steering device for an outboard motor is, for example, a tiller handle type for manually steering a tiller handle attached to the outboard motor, a remote control type for remotely operating a steering mechanism via a push-pull cable, etc. Many of these were due to human power.

However, the manpower described above has a heavy steering load and a heavy burden on the operator. Therefore, for example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a steering hydraulic actuator (specifically, a hydraulic cylinder) is connected to a steering mechanism (tiller handle) of an outboard motor via an arm or the like to control the vehicle. The steering load is reduced by operating the hydraulic cylinder according to the steering operation of the person. A pump that supplies hydraulic oil to a steering hydraulic cylinder is connected to a steering wheel, and the hydraulic cylinder and the pump are connected via a pipe laid on the hull.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 62-125996 (FIG. 2 etc.)

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, the mechanism (pump and piping) for supplying hydraulic oil to the hydraulic cylinder is arranged on the hull, so the structure becomes complicated and the number of parts increases. In addition, there is a problem that the mounting work to the hull becomes complicated.

  Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, simplify the structure while using a hydraulic actuator, reduce the number of parts, and simplify the mounting work to the hull, and the steering apparatus for an outboard motor Is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described object, in the first aspect of the present invention, in the outboard motor steering apparatus including a steering mechanism for slidably connecting the outboard motor main body to a stern bracket fixed to the rear portion of the hull, The steering mechanism includes a swivel case attached to the stern bracket, a swivel shaft rotatably accommodated in the swivel case, a hydraulic actuator for rotating the swivel shaft, and supplying hydraulic oil to the hydraulic actuator And the hydraulic oil supply mechanism is arranged in a space formed between the stern bracket and the swivel case.

  The hydraulic oil supply mechanism may include a reservoir tank that stores the hydraulic oil, a hydraulic pump that pumps the hydraulic oil stored in the reservoir tank to the hydraulic actuator, and the hydraulic pump. It comprised so that it might consist of an electric motor which drives.

  Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, a tilt trim angle adjustment mechanism that adjusts a tilt trim angle of the outboard motor main body disposed in the space is provided, and the hydraulic oil supply mechanism is disposed in the space in the tilt trim. It was configured to be disposed adjacent to the angle adjustment mechanism.

  In the outboard motor steering apparatus according to claim 1, the outboard motor steering mechanism includes a swivel case attached to the stern bracket, a swivel shaft rotatably accommodated in the swivel case, and a swivel shaft. And a hydraulic oil supply mechanism for supplying hydraulic oil to the hydraulic actuator, and the hydraulic oil supply mechanism is disposed in a space formed between the stern bracket and the swivel case. Since the hydraulic oil supply mechanism is configured to be integrally attached to the outboard motor, the structure can be simplified as compared with the conventional technique in which the hydraulic oil supply mechanism is arranged on the hull, and thus the number of parts can be reduced. It is possible to simplify the installation work to the hull.

  In the outboard motor steering apparatus according to claim 2, the hydraulic oil supply mechanism includes a reservoir tank that stores the hydraulic oil, and a hydraulic pump that pumps the hydraulic oil stored in the reservoir tank to the hydraulic actuator. Since it is configured to include an electric motor that drives the hydraulic pump, that is, all related parts of the hydraulic actuator are integrally attached to the outboard motor, and the steering mechanism is configured to be completed inside the outboard motor. The number of parts can be further reduced, and the attachment work to the hull can be further simplified.

  The outboard motor steering apparatus according to claim 3 further includes a tilt trim angle adjustment for adjusting a tilt trim angle of the outboard motor body disposed in a space formed between the stern bracket and the swivel case. Since the hydraulic oil supply mechanism is arranged adjacent to the tilt trim angle adjustment mechanism in the space, the internal space of the outboard motor can be used effectively. Therefore, even when the hydraulic oil supply mechanism is arranged integrally with the outboard motor, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the outboard motor as a whole.

  The best mode for carrying out the outboard motor steering apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an outboard motor steering apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention as a whole, centering on the outboard motor, and FIG. 2 is a partially explanatory side view of FIG.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 10 indicates an outboard motor. As shown in FIG. 2, the outboard motor 10 includes a stern bracket 14 and an outboard motor main body 16 fixed to the rear part of the hull (ship) 12, and the outboard motor main body 16 is connected to the stern bracket via a steering mechanism 18. 14 is steerable.

  The steering mechanism 18 includes a swivel shaft 20 and a swivel case 22. The swivel shaft 20 is rotatably accommodated in the swivel case 22 and is connected to the frame 16A of the outboard motor main body 16 via a mount frame 24 fixed to the upper part. The swivel case 22 is attached to the stern bracket 14 via a tilting shaft 26. As a result, the outboard motor main body 16 can be steered with respect to the stern bracket 14 with the swivel shaft 20 as a rotation axis, and can be tilted up / down and trimmed up / down with the tilting shaft 26 as a rotation axis. The

  The steering mechanism 18 further supplies hydraulic oil to an actuator disposed above the swivel case 22, specifically, a backward hydraulic cylinder (hereinafter referred to as “steering hydraulic cylinder”) 28 and a steering hydraulic cylinder 28. A hydraulic oil supply mechanism (described later) is provided.

  An internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as “engine”) 30 is mounted on the upper portion of the outboard motor main body 16. The engine 30 is a spark ignition type in-line four-cylinder engine that is a four-cycle gasoline engine having a displacement of 2200 cc. Further, an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “ECU”) 32 formed of a microcomputer is disposed in the vicinity of the engine 30.

  On the other hand, a propeller 34 and a ladder 36 are provided below the outboard motor main body 16. The propeller 34 rotates when the power of the engine 30 is transmitted through a crankshaft, a drive shaft, a gear mechanism, and a shift mechanism (not shown) to move the hull 12 forward or backward.

  Further, a known power tilt trim unit (tilt trim angle adjusting mechanism) 40 for adjusting the tilt angle and trim angle of the outboard motor main body 16 is disposed in the vicinity of the stern bracket 14 and the swivel case 20 described above. The steering hydraulic cylinder 28 and the power tilt trim unit 40 are connected to the ECU 32 via signal lines 28L and 40L, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a steering wheel 42 is disposed near the cockpit of the hull 12. A steering angle sensor 44 is disposed in the vicinity of the steering wheel 42. Specifically, the turning angle sensor 44 includes a rotary encoder, and outputs a signal corresponding to the turning angle (operation amount) of the steering wheel 42 input by the operator.

  A shift lever 46 and a throttle lever 48 are further arranged near the cockpit. The shift lever 46 and the throttle lever 48 are connected to a shift mechanism and a throttle valve (not shown) of the engine 30 via push-pull cables, respectively. That is, when the shift lever 46 is operated, the shift mechanism operates and the traveling direction of the hull 12 is switched. Further, by operating the throttle lever 48, the throttle valve is opened and closed, the engine speed is adjusted, and the boat speed of the hull 12 is adjusted.

  Further, a power tilt switch 50 for inputting an instruction for adjusting the tilt angle of the outboard motor main body 16 and a power trim switch 52 for inputting an instruction for adjusting the trim angle are disposed near the cockpit. Each of the switches 50 and 52 outputs a signal corresponding to the tilt up / down and trim up / down instructions of the outboard motor body 16 input by the operator.

  The outputs of the steering angle sensor 44, the power tilt switch 50, and the power trim switch 52 are sent to the ECU 32 via signal lines 44L, 50L, and 52L, respectively. Based on these input values, the ECU 32 drives the steering hydraulic cylinder 28 to adjust the steering angle of the outboard motor main body 16 and also drives the power tilt trim unit 40 to tilt and trim the outboard motor main body 16. Adjust the corners.

  Next, the stern bracket 14 and the swivel case 22 will be specifically described. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the stern bracket 14 and the swivel case 22. For convenience of understanding, FIG. 3 shows the swivel case 22 tilted up, and members other than the stern bracket 14 and the swivel case 22 are not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 3, two substantially symmetric stern brackets 14 are fixed to the rear portion of the hull 12 in pairs. Hereinafter, the stern bracket disposed on the left side in the forward direction of the hull 12 is referred to as a “left stern bracket” and is denoted by reference numeral 14L. Further, the stern bracket disposed on the right side forward in the traveling direction is referred to as a “right stern bracket” and is denoted by reference numeral 14R.

  The left and right stern brackets 14L and 14R include pedestal portions 14L1 and 14R1 that contact the rear surface of the hull 12 and wall portions 14L2 and 14R2 that extend from the pedestal portions 14L1 and 14R1 toward the rear in the traveling direction. Further, the upper ends of the left and right stern brackets 14L and 14R are formed in a hook shape (hook shape), and the tilting shaft 26 is attached in the vicinity of the front end (front end in the traveling direction) of such a hook-shaped portion. It is done.

  The swivel case 22 includes a wall portion (a surface that becomes an upper surface when tilted down; indicated by reference numeral 22a) connected to the tilting shaft 26, and a wall portion (tilted down) that is substantially perpendicular to the wall portion 22a. And a plane substantially parallel to the rear surface of the hull 12 at a predetermined distance (shown by reference numeral 22b), and has a substantially L shape in a side view. Further, the wall portion 22b is formed with a cylindrical portion 22c in which the swivel shaft 20 is to be accommodated.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the vicinity of the stern bracket 14 and the swivel case 22 as viewed from the side. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the swivel case 22 as viewed from above. In FIG. 4, the right stern bracket 14R is removed and shown for convenience of understanding.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the steering hydraulic cylinder 28 is disposed on the upper part of the swivel case 20, specifically, on the upper part of the wall portion 22 a that is the upper surface of the swivel case 20.

  A stay 56 is provided in the mount frame 24 in the vicinity of the position immediately above the swivel shaft 20. In the steering hydraulic cylinder 28, the rod head 28a is rotatably attached to the stay 56, and the cylinder bottom 28b is rotatably attached to the upper portion of the wall portion 22a. Thus, by extending and retracting the steering hydraulic cylinder 28, the mount frame 24 and the swivel shaft 20 are rotated, so that the outboard motor main body 16 is steered left and right.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the vicinity of the stern bracket 14 and the swivel case 22 as seen from the hull side. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, the space formed between the stern bracket 14 and the swivel case 22, specifically, the left and right stern bracket wall portions 14L2 and 14R2, and the swivel case wall portion. A hydraulic oil supply mechanism 60 that supplies hydraulic oil to the steering hydraulic cylinder 28 is disposed in a space (indicated by reference numeral 58 in FIGS. 3 and 7) surrounded by the wall 22a and the wall portion 22b. 10 is attached integrally.

  The hydraulic oil supply mechanism 60 includes a reservoir tank 62 (not shown in FIG. 4) that stores hydraulic oil, a hydraulic pump 64 that pumps hydraulic oil stored in the reservoir tank 62 to a steering hydraulic cylinder, and a hydraulic pump 64. And an electric motor 66 for driving the motor. That is, in this embodiment, all related parts of the hydraulic pressure supply system are integrally attached to the outboard motor 10 so that the steering mechanism 18 is completed inside the outboard motor 10.

  Further, the power tilt trim unit 40 described above is disposed in the space 58 adjacent to the hydraulic oil supply mechanism 60.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view of the power tilt trim unit 40 as viewed from the outboard motor main body 16 side. As shown in FIG. 8, the power tilt trim unit 40 includes a tilt angle adjusting hydraulic cylinder (hereinafter referred to as a “tilt hydraulic cylinder”) 40a and two trim angle adjusting hydraulic cylinders arranged on the left and right sides thereof. (Hereinafter referred to as “trim hydraulic cylinder”) 40bL, 40bR, a reservoir tank 40c for storing hydraulic oil, and hydraulic oil stored in the reservoir tank 40c are pumped to the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a and trim hydraulic cylinders 40bL, 40bR The hydraulic pump 40d that performs the operation and the electric motor 40e that drives the hydraulic pump 40d are integrally provided.

  The trim hydraulic cylinder 40b is formed to have a shorter cylinder length (length in the stroke direction) than the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a, and is tilted on both sides of the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a. Hereinafter, the trim hydraulic cylinder 40bL disposed on the left side of the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a toward the front in the traveling direction is referred to as a “left trim hydraulic cylinder”, and the trim angle hydraulic cylinder 40bR disposed on the right side is referred to as “right trim”. This is called “hydraulic cylinder”.

  A hydraulic pump 40d is disposed above the left trim hydraulic cylinder 40bL and to the left of the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a, and an electric motor 40e connected thereto is disposed above the hydraulic pump 40d. Specifically, the hydraulic pump 40d and the electric motor 40e are attached to the left side surface of the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a.

  The hydraulic pump 40d is connected to a hydraulic circuit (not shown) provided inside the power tilt trim unit 40. A reservoir tank 40c is disposed above the electric motor 40e, and the reservoir tank 40c is connected to the hydraulic circuit described above via an oil passage 40f.

  Next, the positional relationship between the power tilt trim unit 40 and the hydraulic oil supply mechanism 60 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 4, 6, and 7.

  As shown in the figure, the power tilt trim unit 40 is disposed at the center of a space 58 formed between the stern bracket 14 and the swivel case 22, and its lower portion 40B, specifically, the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a and the left and right trims. The cylinder bottoms of the hydraulic cylinders 40bL and 40bR are connected to the stern bracket 14. On the other hand, the rod head of the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a is connected to the wall portion 22b of the swivel case 22, and the rod heads of the left and right trim hydraulic cylinders 40bL and 40bR are in contact with the wall portion 22b of the swivel case 22. The As a result, when the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a or the trim hydraulic cylinders 40bL and 40bR are expanded and contracted, the swivel case 22 is rotated about the tilting shaft 26 as a rotation axis, and thus the tilt angle and trim angle of the outboard motor main body 16 are rotated. Is adjusted. As well shown in FIG. 6, the reservoir tank 40c is attached to the left stern bracket 14L.

  The hydraulic oil supply mechanism 60 is disposed on the right side of the power tilt trim unit 40, specifically, above the right side trim hydraulic cylinder 40bR and on the right side of the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a.

  More specifically, a hydraulic pump 64 is disposed above the right trim hydraulic cylinder 40bR, and an electric motor 66 connected thereto is disposed above the hydraulic pump 64. Specifically, the hydraulic pump 64 and the electric motor 66 are attached to the right side surface of the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a. Further, a reservoir tank 62 is disposed on the electric motor 66. The reservoir tank 62 is attached to the right stern bracket 14R as well shown in FIG.

  That is, the hydraulic pump 64, the electric motor 66, and the reservoir tank 62 constituting the hydraulic oil supply mechanism 60 sandwich the tilt hydraulic cylinder 40a, and the hydraulic pump 40d, the electric motor 40e, and the reservoir tank 40c of the power tilt trim unit 40, respectively. It is arranged to face. The reservoir tank 62 and the hydraulic pump 64 are connected via an oil passage 70 disposed inside the space 58. The hydraulic pump 64 is connected to the steering hydraulic cylinder 28 via an oil passage 72 and an oil passage 74.

  As described above, in the outboard motor steering apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the steering mechanism 18 of the outboard motor 10 is attached to the swivel case 22 attached to the stern bracket 14 and the swivel case 22. The swivel shaft 20 is rotatably accommodated, the steering hydraulic cylinder 28 rotates the swivel shaft 20, and the hydraulic oil supply mechanism 60 supplies hydraulic oil to the steering hydraulic cylinder 28. Since the supply mechanism 60 is disposed in the space 58 formed between the stern bracket 14 and the swivel case 22, that is, the hydraulic oil supply mechanism 60 is integrally attached to the outboard motor 10. The structure can be simplified compared to the conventional technology placed on the hull, so that the number of parts of the entire device can be reduced and the number of parts installed on the hull can be reduced. It can be simplified only work.

  The hydraulic oil supply mechanism 60 includes a reservoir tank 62 that stores hydraulic oil, a hydraulic pump 64 that pumps hydraulic oil stored in the reservoir tank 62 to the steering hydraulic cylinder 28, and an electric motor that drives the hydraulic pump 64. 66, that is, all the related parts of the hydraulic supply system are integrally attached to the outboard motor 10 and the steering mechanism 18 is completed inside the outboard motor 10. The number of points can be further reduced, and the attachment work to the hull can be further simplified.

  Further, since the hydraulic oil supply mechanism 60 is disposed adjacent to the power tilt trim unit 40 in the space 58, the internal space of the outboard motor 10 can be used effectively. Even in the case of being arranged integrally with the aircraft 10, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the outboard motor as a whole.

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the steering mechanism (18) for slidably connecting the outboard motor main body (16) to the stern bracket (14) fixed to the rear portion of the hull (12). The steering mechanism (18) is rotatably accommodated in a swivel case (22) attached to the stern bracket (14) and the swivel case (22). It comprises a swivel shaft (20), a hydraulic actuator (steering hydraulic cylinder 28) for rotating the swivel shaft (20), and a hydraulic oil supply mechanism (60) for supplying hydraulic oil to the hydraulic actuator (28). At the same time, the hydraulic oil supply mechanism (60) is disposed in a space (58) formed between the stern bracket (14) and the swivel case (22). It was constructed in.

  The hydraulic oil supply mechanism (60) has a reservoir tank (62) that stores the hydraulic oil, and a hydraulic pump that pumps the hydraulic oil stored in the reservoir tank (62) to the hydraulic actuator (28). 64) and an electric motor (66) for driving the hydraulic pump (28).

  In addition, a tilt trim angle adjustment mechanism (power tilt trim unit 40) that adjusts a tilt trim angle of the outboard motor main body (16) disposed in the space (58) is provided, and the hydraulic oil supply mechanism (60) is provided. The space (58) is arranged adjacent to the tilt trim angle adjusting mechanism (40).

  In the above description, the hydraulic actuator for steering is a hydraulic cylinder, but it may be a hydraulic motor or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an outboard motor steering apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, centering on the outboard motor. It is a partial explanatory side view of the apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a stern bracket and a swivel case shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the vicinity of a stern bracket and a swivel case shown in FIG. It is the schematic which looked at the swivel case shown in FIG. 2 etc. from upper direction. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the vicinity of a stern bracket and a swivel case shown in FIG. It is the VII-VII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the power tilt trim unit shown in FIG. 6 as viewed from the outboard motor main body side.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Outboard motor 12 Hull 14 Stern bracket 16 Outboard motor main body 18 Steering mechanism 20 Swivel shaft 22 Swivel case 28 Steering hydraulic cylinder (hydraulic actuator)
40 Power tilt trim unit (tilt trim angle adjustment mechanism)
58 Space 60 Hydraulic oil supply mechanism 62 Reservoir tank 64 Hydraulic pump 66 Electric motor

Claims (3)

In the outboard motor steering apparatus having a steering mechanism for sternably connecting the outboard motor main body to a stern bracket fixed to the rear part of the hull,
The steering mechanism includes a swivel case attached to the stern bracket, a swivel shaft rotatably accommodated in the swivel case, a hydraulic actuator for rotating the swivel shaft, and supplying hydraulic oil to the hydraulic actuator A steering apparatus for an outboard motor, characterized in that the hydraulic oil supply mechanism is disposed in a space formed between the stern bracket and the swivel case.   The hydraulic oil supply mechanism includes a reservoir tank that stores the hydraulic oil, a hydraulic pump that pumps hydraulic oil stored in the reservoir tank to the hydraulic actuator, and an electric motor that drives the hydraulic pump. The outboard motor steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Furthermore, a tilt trim angle adjustment mechanism that adjusts a tilt trim angle of the outboard motor main body disposed in the space is provided, and the hydraulic oil supply mechanism is disposed adjacent to the tilt trim angle adjustment mechanism in the space. The outboard motor steering system according to claim 1 or 2.

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